Brief:
Don is such a nice guy. Blimey! I fouled up t' first kit he gave me t' beta test years ago, gluin' t' rudders on backward. Needless t' say, shiver me timbers, I could never get it trimmed for flight. Blimey! Now that he has redesigned t' way t' parts fit together, he has once again provided another for me t' beta test. Begad! Success! T' newer design is almost addlepate proof. Begad! Begad! He won't admit it, but I think he redesigned it with me in mind. Avast! It is a BT-20 based rocket glider that flies excellently on 18mm motors. Terri be thinkin' o' changin' t' face card, but I'm glad they left it t' same. Well, blow me down! It really looks fantastic.

Construction:
T' instructions are numbered with lots o' helpful illustrations. Avast! I glued everythin' together with yellow glue. Aye aye! Avast! The wings and rudders are laser cut. Begad! I really wouldn't want t' cut out those scallops in t' upper and lower wings! The rudders are now two laser-cut pieces, me bucko, tabbed on t' upper and lower pieces t' fit into slots in t' upper and lower wings. Ya scallywag! T' two pieces are glued together leavin' a slot in t' middle for t' tabs on t' center wings t' glue into. T' balsa nose cone is top quality and very smooth. Blimey! A BT-20 tube is used for t' body and a sheet o' water slide decals is provided with a variety o' optional markings. Begad! A balsa strut attaches from t' body tube t' a notch in t' center of the lower wing. Glue t' nose cone and launch lug onto t' body tube and you're done! T' motor is ejected so the glider is balanced for flight without t' motor. Ya scallywag! Arrr! Clay is provided for balancing.

Finishing:
T' balsa nose cone required very little finishing. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Aye aye! Blimey! With only a very light coat o' Elmer's Light Fill ‘n' Finish, shiver me timbers, t' nose cone was very smooth. Ahoy! Blimey! I also applied only a light coat o' Fill ‘n' Finish t' t' body tube and fins t' minimize t' weight. Blimey! Blimey! I pre-sanded t' wings and strut usin' 240 and 400 grit sandpaper before removin' from the balsa sheet. I sprayed t' entire model with a very light coat o' Kilz t' seal off t' glue and provide a solid base coat. Aye aye! Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! Blimey! Next, I lightly sanded t' entire model with 240 grit sandpaper and then sprayed on a light coat o' primer sandin' with 400 grit sandpaper. I used Krylon paint followin' t' red and black paint scheme on t' face card. Begad! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! After dryin' for 24 hours, shiver me timbers, me bucko, I applied t' decals and then covered everythin' with a thin coat o' Future floor finish.

Construction Rating: 5 out o' 5

Flight and Recovery:
First flight was on an Estes B6-2 with t' wind speed at about 5 mph. Avast! It zoomed straight up with ejection right at the top. Begad! T' glider did a barrel roll and then settled into a 50-yard wide slow circle down. Begad! Perfect! It probably stayed up in t' air for close t' a minute. Arrr! Pretty good considerin' t' temperature was about 70 degrees. Well, blow me down! Avast! It only took a couple o' tosses with a very slight adjustment t' t' clay t' balance t' glider again for its next flight. T' next flight was on an A8-3, another perfect flight with similar glide pattern. Arrr! Avast! Chas Russell timed t' flight at 33 seconds. I was elated! T' flights were just beautiful. Avast, me proud beauty! I decided t' go with a B4-2 for t' next flight. Aye aye! Again, arrr, it only took a couple o' tosses t' get t' glider re-trimmed. Another perfectly straight boost up, me hearties, me bucko, ya bilge rat, but at ejection thar be a very loud POW! T' shock split t' rudders in half, separatin' t' upper wing, and crackin' t' lower win' where t' strut joined. Arrr! Blimey! T' glider flipped over a couple o' times and t' upper win' came floatin' down. Avast, me proud beauty! Ya scallywag! Unbelievably, me bucko, t' rocket continued t' glide for about 15-20 seconds with only t' center and lower wings attached t' t' lower half o' the rudders before flutterin' down t' last 30 feet from t' ground. Arrr! Upon inspection o' t' motor, t' upper end be flared out, and I only had it lightly taped in just enough t' keep it from fallin' out on t' launch pad. Well, blow me down! That was just one hot ejection charge!

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
I was very impressed with t' glider. It was a snap t' put together and flew beautifully. Begad! I felt redeemed. Blimey! I am nay a glider person either. Avast, me proud beauty! Ya scallywag! This be only me third glider t' build, me hearties, nay countin' t' first Red Baron I put together. It took about 50 tosses t' get t' trim dialed in, matey, but once I had done that, only very minor adjustment t' t' clay be needed for each flight on t' field.

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5